Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 26/04/2022 Full Good 10/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

No children have moved into or out of the home since the last inspection. All three children contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s social workers and families praise how well staff know and care for children. One professional said, ‘Staff use a consistent and strength-based approach to caring for children.’ Children said their experiences of living in the home are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how to communicate with children. Staff regularly seek to understand children’s thoughts and feelings. Staff use a well-embedded therapeutic model to guide their practice. Interactions between staff and children are loving, and children are comfortable in the presence of staff. This helps children create and maintain positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff benefit from regular support from the company’s psychotherapist. Staff use an outcome-based measuring tool that supports and measures progress for children. The psychotherapist assists staff in adopting a collaborative, person-centred approach to acknowledge children’s achievements. As a result, children are supported in recognising the positive progress they are making, which helps them develop their self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to engage with education, although attendance is variable. Staff regularly communicate with education providers to discuss challenges affecting children’s attendance. Staff ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are considered. Educational packages are tailored specifically to meet the needs of individual children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are thoughtful when creating opportunities for children and consider their hobbies and interests. Staff have helped children understand how to look after pets. All the children now have pets of their own, which helps them develop a sense of responsibility. Children enjoy holidays abroad, and staff create memory books as keepsakes. This helps children feel valued, contributing to their sense of belonging and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from being cared for by a diverse staff team. Staff understand the importance of respecting children’s cultural and identity needs. Children are curious to understand the experiences of others. This promotes a culture of acceptance and non- judgemental attitudes among the children and staff team.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children trust and confide in staff. Staff respond swiftly to emerging risks using measured, child-focused and proportionate methods. Staff carry out important work with children about personal safety, consent and safe relationships. These person-centred approaches help children understand their responses to difficult situations. Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 4 Children have complex needs and vulnerabilities. These include vulnerabilities relating to exploitation, going missing from the home, and difficulties forming appropriate relationships. Staff understand these vulnerabilities well, which helps them keep children safe. Professionals acknowledge children are safer because of the dedicated care they receive from staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures. Where practice has fallen short, staff, leaders and managers have responded promptly, sharing concerns and implementing immediate safeguards. Leaders and managers have also shared any lessons learned with staff to further enhance their practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children benefit from a nurturing environment where positive behaviour is actively promoted. Staff do not use physical intervention. They have creative ways of helping children recognise and manage their behaviours. Staff use meaningful incentives through a token system. These are personalised and help children work towards goals that are important to them. Children take pride in choosing and earning rewards.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been several missing-from-home incidents. Staff manage these incidents well. Staff search for children and are curious about where they have been to help them understand why they left. Incidents have reduced from children’s starting points. All children have learned to enjoy using the community safely without the need for increased staff supervision. However, when children have been missing, managers do not routinely evidence continued challenge to local authorities in securing return home interviews.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Recent additions to the senior leadership team have meant improvements have been made to the overall efficiency of leaders and managers. The manager is very child focused and is dedicated to ensuring that children’s experiences are positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are regularly updated and informed about areas of concern. Communication between managers and professionals is exceptionally good. Children benefit from the manager’s approach to close, multi-agency working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say leaders and managers recognise their experience and strengths. Staff role model positive practice for newer staff members, which informs their development. Staff say they feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers help staff identify and understand their own feelings in response to challenging situations. This helps staff to be aware of the impact of their actions when caring for children. This helps them provide informed care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and supportive supervision sessions, team meetings and annual appraisals. Staff value feedback and use it to inform their practice. The staff are Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 5 trained to meet the needs of the children they care for. Additional training has been provided. Ongoing learning has led to a deeper understanding of children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff has not achieved their relevant qualification within the required time frame. Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that records written about children are reflective, accurate and helpful to children. Records contain incorrect names and dates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While some of the children’s records are written using child-friendly language, others are not, and they contain inaccuracies regarding the risks children face. This has not affected the overall care delivered to children; however, left unchecked and not corrected, it has the potential to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated or shared with Ofsted to reflect the current workforce, its experience and qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that the review of the quality of care report includes feedback from children. This limits the capacity for leaders and managers to have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All the requirements raised at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”).

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (4)(a) (5)(a)) 1 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that evidence is available to demonstrate action taken to achieve engagement with local authorities to escalate concerns when children have been missing and when return home interviews are not carried out in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staffing structure and the experience and qualifications of staff are included in the statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)  The registered person should ensure that children’s views about the home are included in the quality of care review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under The Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspectors

Lexi Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1164089 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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